XPost: misc.transport.urban-transit   
      
   In misc.transport.rail.americas Glen Labah  wrote:   
   > Therefore, SoundTransit is required to adopt an emblem for each of its   
   > stations so that it may be identified on a map. [...]   
      
   Did they get some feedback from riders or potential riders that the   
   signage was an obstacle to riding?   
      
   > To me it seems terrible to try to distinguish what emblem is what once   
   > they get small enough to get put on a map.   
      
   I had to zoom way in on that Mexico City one to see the icons.  It's   
   easy to get resolutions of 300 or 600 dpi on paper, but most computer   
   displays are only around 100 dpi; this affects any transit system that   
   wants to show maps on their ticket machine screens, website, etc.   
      
   > The discussion of this over at the Seattle Transit Blog [...]   
   > includes a comment about how it is very difficult to find your way   
   > around Japan in places where station names only include the name in   
   > Kanji, and it can be very difficult for the non-initiated to try to   
   > decipher these.   
      
   I have read that the bigger cities tend to have a number for each   
   station, which is displayed on signs, maps, etc, along with the name in   
   Japanese.  You can get maps in popular languages that show the stations   
   by number.   
      
   Tokyo seems to use a color and letter (keyed to each line) and a station   
   number along the line.  They claim that this makes it easier to count   
   stations to your destination, and helps you figure out if you are going   
   the right direction.   
   http://www.tokyometro.jp/en/subwaymap/   
      
   I wonder if they skip numbers for future stations or closed stations,   
   or if they have to renumber everything when that happens?   
      
   "Smaller" cities don't seem to do this... the official map of the   
   Hiroshima transit system just has the station names in Japanese.   
   http://www.hiroden.co.jp/en/s-routemap.html   
   The streetcars have the line number as an Arabic numeral, and the   
   terminal station name in English, in addition to something in Japanese.   
   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Hiroden6566.jpg   
      
   Googling on the Beijing metro seems to say that all their signs are in   
   Chinese.  The Wikipedia article says that there are voice announcements   
   in Mandarin and English for all stations.   
      
   In Germany, there doesn't seem to be a letter or number for each station   
   on the public signs, at least in the cities I have visited.  I think   
   they use more icons in their station signs than US transit systems - a   
   soccer ball for the exit closest to the stadium, a factory for the exit   
   towards the industrial district, etc.   
      
   Matt Roberds   
      
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